Scouting boys gymnastics in Lake County
Libertyville still has a long way to go if it hopes to match Mundelein's six state championships or Stevenson's five titles in IHSA boys gymnastics.
Last spring was a banner season for the Wildcats, as they stunned the competition to win their first state championship by a 159.15 to 158.65 margin over runner-up Niles West in an epic battle that went down to the final rotation.
And while the rivalries with Libertyville, Mundelein and Stevenson were not as competitive as usual last season, with Libertyville dominating the Independent Conference, there should be much more balance between the teams this spring.
Mundelein has remained a consistent program over the years with 22 state-meet appearances, including a fifth-place finish in 2018. The Mustangs have 11 top-three state-meet trophies dating back to 1989. Stevenson boasts nine trophies, while Libertyville has five. The Patriots amassed their trophies from 1999 to 2015.
Fast forward to the upcoming 2020 campaign, and Libertyville will be scrambling to replace four key seniors, including all-arounder Matthew Richardson, who placed second to Glenbard West's Alexander Demeris by a mere .05 points in the state all-around competition last year.
Not only will the Wildcats be without the services of Richardson this spring, but they also lost Max Faber (14th in state all-around), Tyler Kukla and Matt Neuberger to graduation.
"Losing Matt (Richardson) definitely gives a lot of motivation to the team, and losing a guy like that is very hard to replace," said Libertyville coach Josh Cimo, who is starting his ninth season. "A lot of our JV guys are now stepping up to be our varsity competitors this year. It's going to be a bit of a struggle, and it's going to be a rebuilding year so we're just going to be putting together the best varsity team we can."
Libertyville's squad will be young. But it still has a solid trio of all-arounders to build around in junior Robert Cartwright, who was a key contributor at the varsity level last year, sophomore Grady Georgia and sophomore Andrew Richardson, who is the brother of Matthew Richardson.
"Those will be our three main competitors on the varsity level," Cimo said. "Grady Georgia is very determined, and he's been working hard on some new skills in the off-season.
Like the Wildcats, Mundelein also lost a big-time leader from its lineup. Will Ferro, who reached the state meet in three events and the state finals in two events, graduated.
But despite a rough season overall last spring with some growing pains, the Mustangs are looking to turn things around this year with junior all-arounder Kyle Massel back on the squad after a one-year hiatus in club gymnastics. Mundelein's roster should also benefit from the addition of junior all-arounder Austin Knight, who is a transfer student from Florida.
"Last year was a complete rebuild, and this year we have been able to improve our numbers and our talent," said Mundelein coach Jesse Piland, who is in his 12th season. "I'm optimistic that we are going to be competitive again, and we have to stay healthy in order to do our best."
Junior all-arounders Daksh Guard and Jaden Pazol should be strong team leaders for Stevenson, while freshman teammate Santi Gonzalez is a new gymnast to watch closely.
"I was hoping this would be our year to make a state run, but a handful of our experienced gymnasts decided to train year-round in alternative sports, while others needed to take a year off to tend to lingering injuries," said Stevenson coach Joe Rogalski, who is beginning his fifth season at the helm. "Our goal is to have individuals who came in as freshmen and sophomores with no experience make state as upperclassmen."
Mundelein also hopes to get solid results from its freshmen duo of all-arounders Holden Allsbury and Johnny Anno.
"For the sake of the sport, I hope (Mundelein and Stevenson's) numbers are flourishing," said Cimo, whose Wildcats opened their season with a loss at Glenbrook North last week. "I wish them the best of luck this season."
Top returning individuals: Libertyville - junior all-arounder Robert Cartwright, sophomore all-arounder Grady Georgia, sophomore all-arounder Andrew Richardson; Mundelein - senior all-arounder Flavio Diaz, junior all-arounder Kyle Massel; Stevenson - senior Anthony Lang (floor exercise, vault), junior all-arounder Daksh Guard, junior all-arounder Jaden Pazol
Top newcomers: Mundelein - junior all-arounder Austin Knight (transfer student from Florida), freshman all-arounder Holden Allsbury, freshman all-arounder Johnny Anno; Stevenson - freshman all-arounder Santi Gonzalez
Top invitationals and IHSA state series: Red Devil Krupicka Invitational at Hinsdale Central (March 20), Vic Avigliano Invitational at Rolling Meadows (March 28), Bob Bohl Invitational at Mundelein (April 9), Ed Raymond Invitational at Conant (April 17), Independent Conference meet at Lake Park East Campus (April 24), IHSA sectional meets (sites to be announced, May 5 to May 9), 69th Annual IHSA state meet at Hoffman Estates High School (team and all-around competition May 15, individual competition May 16).
Around the state: Last season's state runner-up Niles West should be one of the contenders to bring home the championship trophy from state, as the Wolves have their top two all-arounders back. Glenbard West senior Alexander Demeris will try to defend his state all-around title after edging Richardson by a minuscule .05 points for first place last year.